By Aerol John Pateña/PNA
MANILA — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has granted special permits to buses that will traverse from the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) to Plaza Lawton in Manila and Ayala Avenue in Makati.
The additional buses are intended to serve areas which have high passenger demand, DOTr officer-in-charge Undersecretary for Road Transport Mark de Leon said.
“The buses started operating last Monday thus we were able to ease the concerns of passengers which are asking transportation for these areas,” de Leon said in a text message to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Tuesday.
The following are the bus units that will operate along these routes:
A. PITX-Lawton Loop:
DNS Transport — 6 bus units
Worthy/HM Transport — 20 units
Jumbo Transport — 10 units
San Agustin Transport Service Corp. — 10 units
B. PITX-Ayala Makati Loop:
RRCG Transport — 25 units
“These bus units will be operating until we have released new city bus franchises,” de Leon said, as he urged bus operators to comply with the authorization given for them to provide transport services to the commuters.
He also stressed the issuance of a memorandum circular by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) that allows certain bus franchises based in provinces to go beyond the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) and traverse through Metro Manila to ensure ease of travel among commuters.
LTFRB Memorandum Circular (MC) 2018-022 converts the franchises of buses in selected areas in the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite and Laguna into city operations to ensure ease of travel among commuters going to and from Metro Manila.
“The DO (department order) of DOTr only had daily commuters in mind. It covered not only PITX but future ITX (integrated terminals) projects in the South and North. For example in Laguna, people coming from San Pedro and Sta. Rosa are already considered commuters to Metro Manila,” de Leon said.
The franchises of buses bound for Metro Manila from the following areas will be converted into city operations:
- Bulacan (north) — Bocaue, Meycauayan, Marilao, Obando, and San Jose del Monte City;
- Cavite (southwest) — Imus, Bacoor, Dasmariñas, General Trias, Silang, Kawit, Noveleta, and Cavite City; and
- Laguna (south) — San Pedro, Biñan, and Sta. Rosa City
The PITX aims to become a transfer point for passengers alighting from provincial buses from Cavite and Batangas and transferring to in-city modes of transportation.
The terminal is expected to reduce the number of provincial buses plying Metro Manila, especially along Roxas Boulevard, Pasay, and EDSA-Taft area. (PNA)
